Senator Mazie Hirono

U.S. Senator from Hawaii

Senator Mazie Hirono

U.S. Senator from Hawaii

Biography

Mazie K. Hirono was elected to the Senate in 2012 and sworn in as Hawaii’s first female senator and the country’s first Asian-American woman senator. Hirono’s priority is to ensure that every American family has the opportunity to work and succeed. Her efforts to advance these goals include expanding access to early education, supporting a sustainable economy, and ensuring that we keep our promises to our seniors.

Hirono serves on the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Select Committee on Intelligence, Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. She is also the ranking member of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommitee on Water and Power.

Born in Fukushima, Japan, Hirono was nearly eight years old when her mother brought her and her older brother to Hawaii to escape an abusive husband and seek a better life. Hirono served in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1981 to 1994 and earned a reputation as an advocate for consumers and workers. After being elected as Hawaii’s lieutenant governor in 1994, Hirono led efforts to support Hawaii’s tourism industry through visa reform. Voters in Hawaii’s second congressional district elected Hirono to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006.